Unfaithful Review
by John Sylva (DeWyNGaLe AT aol DOT com)July 11th, 2002
UNFAITHFUL (2002)
Reviewed by John Sylva
With Unfaithful, director Adrian Lyne doesn't explore infidelity so much as he just observes it. As Connie Sumner (Diane Lane) repeatedly visits bookdealer Paul (Olivier Martinez) in his Soho flat, the viewer never knows her motivation for cheating on husband Edward (Richard Gere), for this isn't the kind of deal-the-dish with the gals at coffee relationship you might assume. The affair is reckless abandonment as Connie tries several times to end it without following through, leading the viewer to draw conclusions about her character the film's screenplay does not. Likewise, her relationship with Edward is distantly observed. The couple, living the white-picket fence dream in upstate New York with son Charlie (Erik Per Sullivan), don't appear troubled, with Connie seeming content with married life and the hard-working Edward smitten with his trophy wife. But affliction develops as Connie's affair grows increasingly intense, leaving the unknowing Edward cold and the innocent Charlie neglected.
Under Lyne's direction, watching the Sumner family unravel is a strangely entrancing experience. Able to make even the dullest set pieces look sumptuous, Lyne's knack for establishing atmosphere is unmistakable as he utilizes not only his actors but their surroundings to achieve a scene's tone. Particularly of note: In Paul's apartment, Paul and Connie are immersed in ceiling-high stacks of books, often not able to see around them, paralleling the heightened and cluttered emotions facing Connie. Scenes intended to convey the Sumner's wholesomeness are sun-drenched and dreamy. Cinematographer Peter Biziou understands the importance of the film's look, photographing the proceedings with a professional eye.
Unfaithful's characters are ordinary people-so having Ordinary People screenwriter Alvin Sargent co-writing (Cast Away's William Broyles, Jr. being the other) is an obvious asset. But unlike that 1980 film, this is not a slice-of-life drama; the picture is assembled on a high plateau of cinema that's suited best for fiction. Characters whisper sweet-nothings as if on a daytime soap opera and dress in expensive designer clothes as if in a fashion show-both of which are fine for entertainment purposes, but Sargent and Broyles undermine the gloss with a fair amount of grime irony to deepen the void into which Unfaithful's happenings plunge. One of the film's more noteworthy scenes takes place at a school play, where, despite the stereotypical warmth associated with said event, great intensity plagues Connie and Edward after a pivotal turning point in one of their lives. Although Broyles and Sargent lose their tight grip on the story following the climax, they redeem themselves with an astute, thought-provoking conclusion.
Despite strong technical credits, the character-driven Unfaithful would be an affair to forget without stellar performances. As the men in Connie's life, Richard Gere in a rare supporting performance and Olivier Martinez in his first mainstream turn aptly convey their characters' personalities, but Diane Lane steals the show in one of her few leading performances to date. The depth Lane conveys in her eyes, her vocal inflections, and her composure brings the viewer to a higher level of understanding with the perhaps underwritten Connie. Her finest moments occur aboard a train ride home from Connie's first encounter with Paul as an array of facial expressions dash across the confused woman's face, eventually leading to the witnessing of her unfaithful act, a sequence that's also an outlet for the actress' abilities. Additionally remarkable is Lane's capability to make Connie likable. She has probably destroyed any chance of future happiness in her family, yet Lane immerses her character in a kind of wounded innocence that suggests a history of hardship and neglect in Connie's life. These layers may not have even been intended by the screenwriters, but they're what you get from a great performance. If all goes well, Lane could be having another affair come spring 2003-with a man named Oscar.
GRADE: B+
Film reviewed July 10th, 2002.
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